In an interview in May 2008[3][4] he stated that the possible existence of intelligent extraterrestrials did not contradict church teaching[5][6] and ruling out the existence of aliens would be like "putting limits" on God's creative freedom.[7] He has speculated that such alien life forms could even be “free from Original Sin … [remaining] in full friendship with their creator.”[8] Funes' statements have clearly similar points to what the Vatican's Corrado Balducci also previously has expressed.